Lemon migrant
This butterfly is called an emigrant because large numbers sometimes travel together across Asia and Australia, following the seasonal growth of its host trees.
| Where | Gardens, forest edges and open country |
|---|---|
| Size | 40 to 70 mm wingspan |
| When | April to November |
The Lemon migrant is a medium sized yellow and white butterfly; males are usually pale chalky white with a variable sulphur yellow flush, while females are more strongly yellow with black discal spots and dark terminal markings.
Caterpillars feed on Cassia and Senna trees, and adults gather at damp mud and visit flowers in gardens and open forest edges, sometimes moving together in large seasonal migrations.
Traits
Habitat
Garden
Colour
Yellow, White
Active
Day
To people
Visits garden flowers and mud puddles; not known to sting or bite people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Males are chalky white with little yellow tint, and both sexes show more mottled black margin markings than the Lemon migrant.
Questions
Is the Lemon migrant dangerous to people?
Visits garden flowers and mud puddles; not known to sting or bite people.
When can you see the Lemon migrant?
The Lemon migrant can be seen from April to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by sunnyjosef, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
Report a mistake in this entry
Butterflies and moths›Whites and yellows›Catopsilia
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.